Magnificent Magnificats

Jonny Davies Conductor

After being Queen’s Chorister and then Head Chorister at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, Jonny Davies won a music scholarship to Trinity School, Croydon. During his teenage years he studied violin with John Francis, piano with Nigel Clayton at Croydon Schools Piano Centre and organ with Simon Williams. He also acted as assistant organist at St Mary’s Church, Addington. He then went to Brasenose College, Oxford where he received an Organ Exhibition, and sang with Schola Cantorum and the Oxford Chamber Choir. Since leaving Oxford, Jonny has sung as a lay clerk in Guildford Cathedral, with the Holst Singers conducted by Stephen Layton, and with professional church choirs all over London. He was Director of Music at St Olave’s Church, Hart Street and St Katharine Cree in the City of London, from 2007 until 2015.

From the programme of 4 February 2023.

Rhian Davies Mezzo-soprano

Rhian Davies is a postgraduate vocal student at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, studying under Teresa Cahill. Prior to studying at the conservatoire, Rhian graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2017, having read Music at Robinson College. During her time as an undergraduate, Rhian was an alto choral scholar in the Robinson College Chapel Choir, studying singing with Lucy Taylor. While at Cambridge, she sang as a soloist at St Martin-in-the-Fields, working with Edward Reeve and the Brandenburg Sinfonia in performances of Mozart’s Requiem in 2016 and 2017. As a student at Trinity Laban, Rhian has participated in a masterclass on Baroque arias with Patricia Bardon and has studied the roles of Maman (L'enfant et les sortilèges) and Second Maid (Elektra) as part of Trinity Laban’s Postgraduate Opera Scenes. She also sang the role of Filipyevna in scenes from Eugene Onegin as part of a Welsh National Opera side-by-side project last term. Rhian is currently preparing the role of Charwoman for Trinity Laban’s production of Thea Musgrave’s A Christmas Carol this term. Rhian looks forward to continuing her studies at Trinity Laban as she begins the MMus programme as a Trinity College of Music Choral Scholar and Kathleen Roberts Vocal Scholar.

Jonathan Hyde Baritone

Jonathan Hyde began life in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, and sang as a treble in Gloucester Cathedral Choir before going on to study with the ever inspiring Maria Jagusz in Cirencester, performing with her fantastic company MJ-UK. He read Music at St John’s College, Cambridge for his bachelor’s degree, singing in the choir as a choral scholar under Andrew Nethsingha, and spent many happy years singing in some of the world’s greatest venues and performing in the University Opera Society. From there, he decided to pursue his passion for classical singing and began to study with Robert Dean at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He studied with the likes of Graham Johnson, Ian Burnside, Joseph Middleton, Alistair Hogarth and Eugene Asti on projects ranging from Schubert’s Winterreise to Rossini’s La Scala di Seta and the première of Matthew King’s jazzy cantata Schoenberg in Hollywood. During his study he also performed across the country in the Oxford Lieder Festival, Leeds Lieder Festival, Ludlow English Song Festival and the Cheltenham International Music Festival. Aware that patience is a virtue, Jonathan is currently training as an accountant and working to help the nation spend wisely in the public sector. He is still able to continue his training and is excited to experience the voice settling and changing over time.

Laurence Panter Tenor

Laurence “Larry” Panter is an alumnus of Caius College, Cambridge and Trinity Laban Conservatoire, where he read music and studied singing respectively. As an operatic tenor, he has worked with companies such as Longborough Festival Opera, Opera Northern Ireland, Celebrate Voice Festival, King’s Head Theatre and L’Offerta Musicale di Venezia and performed fully staged roles including Nemorino (L’Elisir d’Amore), Ferrando (Così fan Tutte), Rodolfo (La Bohème), Inkslinger (Paul Bunyan), Acis (Acis & Galatea) and Turiddu (Cavalleria Rusticana). As a concert soloist, Laurence has performed, among other works, various Bach cantatas, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s The Creation and Mozart’s Mass in C minor. Laurence also works as a pianist and this year has accompanied fully staged productions of Glück’s Orfeo ed Euridice (Grassroots Opera), Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti (Stage Left Project) and Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel (Opera in the Meantime). In his downtime, he enjoys playing hide and seek with his two cats, Watty and Sus.

Sara Pay Soprano

Sara Pay studied Music at the University of Manchester and now lives and works in London. As a soprano soloist, she has performed in Bach cantatas, and in movements from oratorios including Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Britten’s Spring Symphony and Handel’s Messiah. She has also sung the role of Susanna (Marriage of Figaro, in English). A busy choral singer, Sara is a member of Nonsuch Singers and Choir of the 21st Century. She sang with the Hallé Choir, London Symphony Chorus, and BBC Symphony Chorus for several years, performing in concerts throughout the UK, on tour in Europe and New York, and in recordings for the Hallé, Chandos and LSO Live labels. Sara studies singing with Zoe South, and works in music management at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She will perform as soprano soloist for Eltham Choral Society’s Messiah (Part I) in December 2018, directed by Max Barley.